https://www.scmp.com/rss/329669/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Lea Albritton’s mornings belong to the repair shop. Her afternoons belong to the camera. The 40-year-old from Leyte in the central Philippines has lived in the US state of Georgia since 2019 with her 62-year-old American husband, Timothy, running a recreational vehicle repair shop in the mornings. After lunch, she produces videos about Filipino food, migration advice for couples stuck in the fiancée visa queue and glimpses of domestic life for the 250,000 followers of her page, Pinay sa America... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350549/meet-filipino-vloggers-finding-financial-freedom-and-defying-stereotypes-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350549/meet-filipino-vloggers-finding-financial-freedom-and-defying-stereotypes-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday that the war in Iran had laid bare the urgency of long-delayed UN reforms, arguing that the world body must be strengthened if multilateral diplomacy is to help restore global peace and security. “We have been talking about that for a long time, but only talking happens,” Tokayev told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. “Everybody is feeling the impact of the Iran war and everybody is suffering.” At the three-day summit ending... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350505/un-reforms-cant-wait-any-longer-kazakhstans-tokayev-says-amid-fragile-iran-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350505/un-reforms-cant-wait-any-longer-kazakhstans-tokayev-says-amid-fragile-iran-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:43:43 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s effort to shield itself from President Donald Trump’s tariffs is facing a new backlash, with environmental groups warning that US projects tied to Tokyo’s investment pledge could generate greenhouse gases equal to around 20 per cent of Japan’s annual emissions. The Japanese government agreed to invest 5.7 trillion yen (US$35.6 billion) in the three projects as part of the first round of spending on US infrastructure in return for Trump’s tariffs being suspended. In total, the bilateral... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3349936/japans-bid-avert-trump-tariffs-draws-fire-over-climate-impact-us-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3349936/japans-bid-avert-trump-tariffs-draws-fire-over-climate-impact-us-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The president who yearned for a Nobel Peace Prize and once revelled in the appearance of solving conflicts turned to the language of annihilation as he struggled to find a resolution to his war of choice in Iran. US President Donald Trump’s latest threat over the Iran war hit a new extreme on Tuesday as he warned “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again”, if Iran failed to make a deal that included reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz. The Republican president’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349340/madness-or-bluster-trumps-apocalyptic-language-raises-key-questions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349340/madness-or-bluster-trumps-apocalyptic-language-raises-key-questions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 05:50:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters A 31-year-old Georgia woman has been charged with murder after she took abortion medication and gave birth to a premature infant who died within hours, according to court documents and arrest records. Alexia Moore was arrested, charged and jailed by local police earlier this month ‌in coastal Camden County, Georgia, near the Florida border over the episode on December 30. Nearly all abortions in Georgia are illegal after six weeks of pregnancy. Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3347404/us-woman-charged-murder-after-taking-abortion-pill-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3347404/us-woman-charged-murder-after-taking-abortion-pill-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 02:15:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Republican candidate backed by US President Donald Trump will advance to a run-off against a Democrat in the Georgia race to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in the US House of Representatives, after a special election on Tuesday seen as a test of Trump’s sway over his party. Trump’s preferred candidate, former district attorney for four northwest Georgia counties Clay Fuller, will face Shawn Harris, a moderate Democrat who has sought to court disillusioned Trump voters, in ‌the April 7... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346176/us-special-election-replace-marjorie-taylor-greene-leads-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346176/us-special-election-replace-marjorie-taylor-greene-leads-run?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:41:08 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Air freight costs for China-reliant shippers may rise by up to 30 per cent due to the suspension of Middle East air routes triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran, a Hong Kong-based logistics association said. The Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarding & Logistics made the estimate based on “market feedback” since the strikes began on Saturday, the trade group told the South China Morning Post in an emailed statement. Most of the group’s 303 corporate members operate in mainland... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3345461/air-freight-costs-china-shippers-tipped-rise-30-middle-east-airspace-shuts-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3345461/air-freight-costs-china-shippers-tipped-rise-30-middle-east-airspace-shuts-down?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:54:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A US man who gave his teenage son the gun he is accused of using to kill two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday. Jurors took less than two hours to find Colin Gray guilty of all charges in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta. Gray is one of a number of parents prosecuted after their children were accused in fatal shootings across the country. Colin Gray... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345323/dad-who-gave-gun-us-school-shooting-suspect-found-guilty-second-degree-murder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345323/dad-who-gave-gun-us-school-shooting-suspect-found-guilty-second-degree-murder?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:26:57 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Human trafficking syndicates operating across Southeast Asia are increasingly laundering their profits through cryptocurrency, a shift that reflects how swiftly these networks are scaling up and exploiting the ease of moving funds across borders, according to findings by a US blockchain analysis firm. Crypto transactions linked to suspected trafficking operations surged 85 per cent in 2025 to hundreds of millions of dollars, Chainalysis said in its 2026 crypto crime report, which tracked illicit... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343325/more-southeast-asian-human-trafficking-gangs-use-crypto-move-illegal-funds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343325/more-southeast-asian-human-trafficking-gangs-use-crypto-move-illegal-funds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Top Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees called on Thursday for US President Donald Trump’s chief spy to brief their panels on why she was ‍present at an FBI raid on an election facility in Georgia. Senator Mark Warner and Congressman Jim Himes told Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a letter that they were deeply concerned with her presence at Wednesday’s FBI operation, saying that the US intelligence community “should be focused on foreign threats”. “When... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341758/why-was-americas-top-spy-present-fbi-raid-georgia-election-facility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341758/why-was-americas-top-spy-present-fbi-raid-georgia-election-facility?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 02:50:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Donald Trump lost his bid for re-election in 2020. But for more than five years, he has been trying to convince Americans the opposite is true by falsely saying the election was marred by widespread fraud. Now that he is president again, Trump is pushing the federal government to back up those bogus claims. On Wednesday, the FBI served a search warrant at the election headquarters of Fulton County, Georgia, which includes most of Atlanta, seeking ballots from the 2020 election. That follows... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341688/why-trumps-georgia-election-raid-escalates-his-2020-obsession-warning-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341688/why-trumps-georgia-election-raid-escalates-his-2020-obsession-warning-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:00:35 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han The White House’s top science adviser on Wednesday said that the Biden administration’s decision to get rid of the Justice Department’s China Initiative was “damaging”, though stopped short of recommending that it should be fully brought back. Asked by Florida Republican Daniel Webster whether the termination of the programme aimed at combating alleged economic espionage from Beijing was detrimental, Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said:... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3339936/white-house-says-biden-decision-scrap-china-initiative-flawed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3339936/white-house-says-biden-decision-scrap-china-initiative-flawed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:56:19 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times With rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo disrupting travel plans, Chinese tourists are actively seeking alternative destinations for their winter getaways. While South Korea hopes to capitalise on this diverted tourist flow, it faces fierce competition from popular hotspots like Thailand, Russia and other destinations, according to travel industry officials. The diplomatic spat began when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested potential military intervention in the Taiwan Strait,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335196/south-korea-thailand-emerge-top-choice-chinese-tourists-amid-japan-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335196/south-korea-thailand-emerge-top-choice-chinese-tourists-amid-japan-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:06:12 +0000 SCMP Style Reporter SCMP Style Reporter For Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, true elegance transcended the purely decorative aspects of luxury pieces to express the personality of the wearer. Her maison’s fall/winter 2025-26 eyewear campaign embodies this philosophy, presenting a collection of glasses that, far from being add-ons, become the hallmark of each look. Shot and directed by British fashion photographer David Sims, the campaign comprises a sleek 15-second video and six portraits of Mathilda Gvarliani, the first Georgian model to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3334523/style-edit-chanels-fall/winter-2025-26-eyewear-range-puts-timeless-elegance-frame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3334523/style-edit-chanels-fall/winter-2025-26-eyewear-range-puts-timeless-elegance-frame?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 02:00:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A judge on Wednesday dismissed the Georgia election interference case against US President Donald Trump and others after the prosecutor who recently took over the case said he would not pursue the charges. Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334280/new-prosecutor-drops-charges-against-trump-georgia-election-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334280/new-prosecutor-drops-charges-against-trump-georgia-election-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:40:31 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a once-loyal supporter of US President Donald Trump who later became a critic, has said she is resigning from Congress in January. Greene, in a more than 10-minute video posted online, explained her decision on Friday and said she was “always been despised in Washington, D.C., and just never fit in”. Greene’s resignation followed a public fallout with Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3333770/marjorie-taylor-greene-ex-trump-loyalist-says-resign-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3333770/marjorie-taylor-greene-ex-trump-loyalist-says-resign-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 02:13:19 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Hundreds of South Korean engineers who were arrested and detained during an immigration raid at a Hyundai-LG Energy Solution battery plant in Georgia in September are preparing to sue US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alleging unlawful detention and mistreatment. According to industry sources and a report by ABC News earlier this week, roughly 200 of those detained in the weeklong ordeal are preparing to file a lawsuit against ICE, alleging racial discrimination, human rights... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3332508/south-korean-engineers-sue-ice-after-hyundai-lg-plant-raid-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3332508/south-korean-engineers-sue-ice-after-hyundai-lg-plant-raid-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 11:06:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters Turkey on Wednesday said 20 of its soldiers were killed when a military transport plane crashed in Georgia a day earlier, marking the Nato member’s deadliest military incident since 2020. The C-130 cargo aircraft left Azerbaijan for Turkey and crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, leaving chunks of twisted metal strewn across a grassy knoll. Ankara has not provided a reason for the crash, but said Turkish and Georgian authorities have started inspections at the site, located in the Sighnaghu... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332396/turkish-military-plane-crashes-georgia-least-20-board?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332396/turkish-military-plane-crashes-georgia-least-20-board?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:48:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press People across the US formed long lines for free meals and groceries at food pantries and drive-through giveaways on Saturday, after monthly benefits through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme, or Snap, were suddenly cut off because of the ongoing government shutdown. In the New York borough of the Bronx, about 200 more people than usual showed up at the World of Life Christian Fellowship International pantry, many bundled in winter hats and coats and pushing collapsible... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331202/snap-benefits-cut-during-us-shutdown-driving-long-lines-food-pantries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331202/snap-benefits-cut-during-us-shutdown-driving-long-lines-food-pantries?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 22:26:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters South Korea’s industry minister said on Monday that the government had expressed concerns over Hyundai announcing multibillion-dollar US investment plans at the same time as Seoul was involved in delicate trade negotiations with Washington. “We told Hyundai that [its] conduct was deeply regrettable, especially considering that our efforts have been made for the sake of Hyundai and Kia’s industry,” South Korea’s Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan told parliament in response to questions. “I believe... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3328870/south-korea-says-it-flagged-concerns-over-hyundais-us-investment-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3328870/south-korea-says-it-flagged-concerns-over-hyundais-us-investment-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:02:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters Three workers have died since Hyundai Motor started construction of its US$7.6 billion car factory in Georgia in 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a review of federal records. Apart from the deaths, more than a dozen workers have suffered serious injuries, including from falling without wearing harnesses and getting crushed by forklifts, according to The Wall Street Journal. “We conducted a comprehensive audit and strengthened safety oversight across the site. We have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328730/3-workers-died-hyundais-georgia-plant-2022-us-immigration-raid-reports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328730/3-workers-died-hyundais-georgia-plant-2022-us-immigration-raid-reports?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 19:37:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US has agreed to allow South Koreans to work to set up facilities at US investment sites under existing temporary visas and open new channels to help its ally send workers to do business there, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry. But US officials at a working group meeting offered no new answers to South Korea’s argument for wider access to US visas for specialty workers despite reaffirming a commitment to advance trade and investment partnership, the ministry said on Wednesday. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327459/south-korea-gets-us-visa-relief-after-hyundai-raid-no-clear-solution-sight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327459/south-korea-gets-us-visa-relief-after-hyundai-raid-no-clear-solution-sight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 01:50:40 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A massive immigration raid on a battery plant in the US state of Georgia earlier this month continues to reverberate across the region with workers staying home and delays mounting. Ken Shim, president of Woowon Technology, said he had to provide paid time off to ease the stress of South Korean engineers installing equipment at a cell plant being built by Hyundai Motor and South Korea’s SK On near Cartersville, Georgia. Shim, an American citizen who has lived in the United States for more than a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325948/south-korean-workers-hunker-down-georgia-us-raid-hyundai-deepens-anxiety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325948/south-korean-workers-hunker-down-georgia-us-raid-hyundai-deepens-anxiety?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 03:47:41 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that foreign workers sent to the United States were “welcome” and he did not want to “frighten off” investors, 10 days after hundreds of South Koreans were arrested at a work site in Georgia. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the 79-year-old Republican wrote: “I don’t want to frighten off or disincentivize investment.” Some 475 people, mostly South Korean nationals, were arrested at the construction site of an electric vehicle battery factory,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325520/trump-concerned-south-korean-arrests-could-frighten-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325520/trump-concerned-south-korean-arrests-could-frighten-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 22:09:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters A top US diplomat expressed regret on Sunday over an immigration raid in the state of Georgia that detained hundreds of South Korean workers and proposed making the event a turning point to strengthen bilateral relations, South Korea said. In a meeting in Seoul, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo urged Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to push forward bilateral discussions on follow-up measures, including a new visa category, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Some 300... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325495/us-diplomat-regrets-raid-detention-korean-workers-hyundai-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325495/us-diplomat-regrets-raid-detention-korean-workers-hyundai-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 10:42:26 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Former Daegu mayor Hong Joon-pyo has described the recent arrests and detentions of South Korean workers in Georgia as an “intentional provocation” by the United States, calling for Seoul to consider its own nuclear weapons programme. “The Georgia incident occurred right after the Korea-US summit. It cannot be dismissed as anything other than an intentional provocation,” Hong wrote on his social media account on Saturday. “No matter how pro-China or pro-North Korea this administration may be,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325458/south-korean-politician-slams-subordinate-us-ties-over-raid-urges-nuclear-armament?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325458/south-korean-politician-slams-subordinate-us-ties-over-raid-urges-nuclear-armament?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 03:41:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A specially chartered flight carrying hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a US immigration raid last week landed at Incheon International Airport on Friday. South Korean workers accounted for most of the 475 people arrested at a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in the state of Georgia, triggering a delicate effort to resolve the thorny situation between close allies. The Korean Air Boeing 747-8I, with more than 310 South Koreans on board, departed from Atlanta and touched down on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325308/south-korean-workers-return-home-after-hyundai-raid-ordeal-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325308/south-korean-workers-return-home-after-hyundai-raid-ordeal-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 06:45:55 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Images of heavily armed American agents in paramilitary gear shackling and zip-tying hundreds of compliant South Korean technicians at a Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia were truly vile. Last week’s raid not only outraged South Koreans and caused more distrust with Seoul, it also exposed the contradiction between Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant and labour crackdown and his industrial policy. Most of those targeted allegedly did not have proper work visas; many were working for contractors who... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325277/heres-why-post-industrial-america-cant-do-industrial-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325277/heres-why-post-industrial-america-cant-do-industrial-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 03:35:01 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong President Lee Jae-myung warned on Thursday that the arrest of hundreds of South Korean workers by US immigration authorities could have a “considerable impact on future direct investment” in America. Lee said last week’s raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in the US state of Georgia raised serious doubts about the business climate for South Korean companies at a time when Seoul is seeking stability following the failed December 3 martial law decree by impeached former president Yoon... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325113/south-koreas-lee-calls-us-raid-bewildering-says-saga-could-hit-investment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325113/south-koreas-lee-calls-us-raid-bewildering-says-saga-could-hit-investment?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 02:26:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a surprise raid in Georgia last week were allowed to fly home on Thursday after the two countries’ top diplomats met in Washington and agreed to resolve a dispute that has roiled bilateral ties. President Donald Trump agreed to South Korean demands that the workers not be handcuffed, and the US will consider creating a new visa category to prevent future problems, according to Yonhap News. It said 330 people, almost all of them South Korean, will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325110/south-korean-workers-leave-us-without-handcuffs-after-arrest-causes-great-pain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325110/south-korean-workers-leave-us-without-handcuffs-after-arrest-causes-great-pain?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 02:02:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters A US immigration lawyer representing more than a dozen workers arrested at a Hyundai facility in Georgia last week said on Wednesday that many of the nearly 500 picked up appeared to be working legally, contradicting allegations by authorities. The lawyer, Atlanta-based Charles Kuck, said his clients included seven South Koreans who entered via the ESTA programme, for countries with visa-free travel to the US, or with B-1 visas for temporary business travel. He said they were legally allowed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325107/many-immigrants-detained-hyundai-raid-appeared-be-working-legally-us-lawyer-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3325107/many-immigrants-detained-hyundai-raid-appeared-be-working-legally-us-lawyer-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 23:23:34 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Concerns are mounting among South Koreans planning trips to the United States amid fears that immigration authorities may tighten entry procedures after the recent detention of hundreds of South Korean workers in Georgia. Goo, a 33-year-old office worker preparing for a honeymoon in Hawaii next month, said he is worried his Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) approval may be delayed or denied. “It used to come through in a day or two without problems, but this time I’m nervous it... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324991/fear-grips-south-koreans-planning-us-trips-after-immigration-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324991/fear-grips-south-koreans-planning-us-trips-after-immigration-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:00:09 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow An immigration raid on a Hyundai electric vehicle plant in the US that saw hundreds of South Korean engineers detained in shackles has triggered “a major diplomatic incident” and shaken Seoul’s confidence in Washington’s commitment to their alliance, analysts say. US officials said 475 people – most of them South Korean nationals – were detained when federal agents raided Hyundai’s manufacturing site in the state of Georgia last Thursday. It is the latest in a long line of workplace raids... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324937/hyundai-raid-hurts-us-south-korea-ties-trade-immigration-agendas-clash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324937/hyundai-raid-hurts-us-south-korea-ties-trade-immigration-agendas-clash?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 02:00:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned foreign companies to obey US law after immigration officials arrested some 475 individuals including South Korean workers at a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in the southern state of Georgia. The arrests were made in a raid by US authorities on Thursday during the largest single-site operation implemented so far under Trump’s nationwide anti-migrant drive. “Please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws,” the president posted on social media... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324691/trump-warns-foreign-companies-after-south-koreans-detained-huge-us-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324691/trump-warns-foreign-companies-after-south-koreans-detained-huge-us-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 03:55:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press South Korea on Friday expressed “concern and regret” over a major US immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles. Some 475 people were detained during the raid, according to a Homeland Security official. Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, said at a news briefing on Friday that the majority of the people detained were from South Korea. “This operation underscores our commitment to jobs... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324560/seoul-expresses-concern-over-us-immigration-raid-hyundais-georgia-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324560/seoul-expresses-concern-over-us-immigration-raid-hyundais-georgia-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 13:25:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Justice Department has launched a criminal mortgage fraud probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and has issued grand jury subpoenas out of both Georgia and Michigan, according to documents seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the matter. The investigation, which followed a criminal referral from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, is being conducted by Ed Martin, who was tapped by Attorney General Pam Bondi as a special assistant US attorney to assist with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324397/trump-admin-opens-criminal-mortgage-fraud-probe-fed-governor-lisa-cook?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3324397/trump-admin-opens-criminal-mortgage-fraud-probe-fed-governor-lisa-cook?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:13:43 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said Monday he will award former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour, two days after his long-time political ally was seriously injured in a car crash. The decision places the award on a man once lauded for leading New York after the September 11, 2001 attacks and later sanctioned by courts and disbarred for amplifying false claims about the 2020 election. Giuliani was also criminally charged in two... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323975/trump-award-former-new-york-mayor-rudy-giuliani-presidential-medal-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323975/trump-award-former-new-york-mayor-rudy-giuliani-presidential-medal-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 21:27:54 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Georgia man who opened fire on the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters, shooting dozens of rounds into the sprawling complex and killing a police officer, had blamed the Covid-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal, a law enforcement official said on Saturday. The 30-year-old shooter also tried to get into the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta but was stopped by guards before driving to a pharmacy across the street and opening fire late Friday afternoon, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321339/us-cdc-shooter-had-distrust-covid-vaccines-neighbour-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321339/us-cdc-shooter-had-distrust-covid-vaccines-neighbour-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 17:45:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man opened fire outside the headquarters of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta on Friday, leaving bullet marks in windows across the sprawling campus and killing a police officer before he was found dead in a nearby building, authorities said. The attack, which unfolded near neighbouring Emory University, prompted a massive law enforcement response to one of the nation’s most prominent public health institutions, but no one else was reported to be injured. At... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321290/suspected-gunman-dead-and-police-officer-hurt-emory-university-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321290/suspected-gunman-dead-and-police-officer-hurt-emory-university-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2025 23:24:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A sergeant shot five soldiers on Wednesday at one of the United States’ largest army bases before he was quickly tackled by other Fort Stewart troops, forcing a brief lockdown, officials said. Few details were immediately available about what led to the gunfire, but officials said the shooter was Sergeant Quornelius Radford, 28, who used a personal handgun, not a military firearm. Radford opened fire where he worked but officials would not speculate about a motive, authorities said. The injured... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321005/5-soldiers-shot-us-armys-fort-stewart-base-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3321005/5-soldiers-shot-us-armys-fort-stewart-base-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 16:57:49 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Hong Kong is revelling in a golden era for fencing, with one historic win after another. The sport has enjoyed a boom since Cheung Ka-long secured the city’s first fencing Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021. Cheung repeated the feat at the Paris Games last year, where Vivian Kong Man-wai also won gold. Now there is a new star to celebrate. Ryan Choi Chun-yin is the first Hong Kong fencer to be the world champion. He won the foil final in Georgia on Wednesday. It is an outstanding achievement.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3319478/new-fencing-star-ryan-choi-gives-hong-kong-victory-savour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3319478/new-fencing-star-ryan-choi-gives-hong-kong-victory-savour?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 22:45:07 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu Five Harvard postgraduates have accepted offers from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) with scholarships following the United States government’s ban on international student admissions last month. A HKUST spokeswoman confirmed that the university had extended offers to six Harvard postgraduate students. “The university has extended admission offers to six postgraduate Harvard offer holders and current students, whose research spans science, technology, humanities, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3315683/5-harvard-postgraduates-opt-hong-kongs-hkust-after-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3315683/5-harvard-postgraduates-opt-hong-kongs-hkust-after-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Jun 2025 11:46:42 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Chinese President Xi Jinping is meeting with five Central Asian leaders on Tuesday, looking to deepen ties in a region rich in natural resources and strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The heads of energy-rich Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are all attending the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, the Kazakh capital. The gathering, which comes two years after China hosted the first summit in Xian, was expected to focus on security... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3314768/xi-boosts-china-ties-resource-rich-central-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3314768/xi-boosts-china-ties-resource-rich-central-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jun 2025 09:04:16 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Beijing expressed hope that the US could “meet China halfway” as the new American ambassador David Perdue assumed his post on Thursday. Perdue, a former Republican US senator for the state of Georgia and a veteran business executive, was confirmed by the US Senate as ambassador to China last month. US President Donald Trump, Perdue’s long-time ally, conducted a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office on May 7 and told Perdue to “say hello to President Xi [Jinping] when you’re over there”. Perdue... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3310520/us-urged-meet-china-halfway-envoy-arrives-beijing-amid-trade-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3310520/us-urged-meet-china-halfway-envoy-arrives-beijing-amid-trade-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 12:25:44 +0000 Nearly 100 days in, Donald Trump’s second term as US president has been defined by his determination to upend the established order on nearly all fronts of domestic and foreign policy, with dire consequences for global economic and cultural engagement. In the first of this series, we look at the extent to which the president’s actions have stirred up a viable opposition that includes voters from his own party. In deep-red Iowa, long-time US Senator Chuck Grassley was met with boos and groans as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3307506/almost-100-days-us-opposition-trump-has-mobilised-it-enough-slow-his-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3307506/almost-100-days-us-opposition-trump-has-mobilised-it-enough-slow-his-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 15:16:28 +0000 A judge has ordered a refund for a billionaire couple who paid £32.5 million (US$40 million) for a mansion with a “severe moth infestation”. A UK High Court judge ruled that Iya Patarkatsishvili, daughter of the Georgian billionaire tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, and her husband Yevhen Hunyak, can hand the home back to the seller, the property developer William Woodward-Fisher. Patarkatsishvili and Hunyak bought Horbury Villa in Notting Hill, west London, in May 2019. However, the judgment... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3298275/billionaire-couple-win-refund-after-buying-us40-million-moth-infested-uk-mansion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3298275/billionaire-couple-win-refund-after-buying-us40-million-moth-infested-uk-mansion?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:15:18 +0000 Mikheil Kavelashvili, a hardline critic of the West, was sworn in as president of Georgia on Sunday amid a political crisis after the government froze European Union application talks in a move that sparked major protests. Outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU opponent of the ruling party, said in a defiant speech to supporters outside the presidential palace that she was leaving the residence, but that Kavelashvili had no legitimacy as president, which is a mostly ceremonial... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3292654/new-georgian-president-sworn-predecessor-says-he-not-legitimate-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3292654/new-georgian-president-sworn-predecessor-says-he-not-legitimate-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2024 09:18:00 +0000 The United States on Friday sanctioned Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister widely seen as the country’s de facto leader, saying he was undermining democracy and allowing Russia to benefit. Ivanishvili, who made billions in Russia in metals and telecoms in the 1990s, has spearheaded a turn away from the West in Georgia and accused foreign intelligence agencies of trying to drive it into war with Russia. Critics say that under his Georgian Dream party, the country has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3292549/us-imposes-sanctions-georgian-billionaire-ex-prime-minister-bidzina-ivanishvili?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3292549/us-imposes-sanctions-georgian-billionaire-ex-prime-minister-bidzina-ivanishvili?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Dec 2024 19:40:13 +0000 Georgian ex-footballer turned far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili is set to become Tbilisi’s next figurehead president in an indirect election denounced as “illegitimate” by the current pro-EU leader. Picked by the governing Georgian Dream party as a loyalist, the former forward for the English Premier League’s Manchester City is known for his expletive-laden parliament speeches and tirades against government critics and LGBTQ people. He is expected to be voted into the role by an... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3290751/ex-manchester-city-striker-mikheil-kavelashvili-set-be-georgias-new-far-right-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3290751/ex-manchester-city-striker-mikheil-kavelashvili-set-be-georgias-new-far-right-president?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:30:13 +0000 The leader of Georgia’s main opposition party has been detained by police in the capital Tbilisi after being knocked to the ground and falling unconscious, his party said, the most high-profile in a sweeping wave of arrests of senior opposition figures. Georgia on Wednesday saw a seventh consecutive night of protests against a government decision to suspend talks on the country joining the European Union, abruptly halting a long-standing national goal and prompting a police crackdown. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3289450/georgia-opposition-figures-arrested-pro-eu-protests-continue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3289450/georgia-opposition-figures-arrested-pro-eu-protests-continue?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2024 04:27:28 +0000